how to prevent dry mouth while sleeping how to prevent dry mouth while sleeping

8 Easy Ways On How To Prevent Dry Mouth While Sleeping

Does your mouth dry while you sleep? If yes, here is a perfect guide for you on how to prevent dry mouth while sleeping.

Dry mouth, or scientifically speaking, Xerostomia, is an important yet much-ignored problem, as most of us tend to not focus on keeping our mouth healthy.

However, since dry mouth has several other repercussions that affect your eating habits, vocal attributes, and oral health, it is crucial to address the problem of dry mouth on time.

Before knowing how to prevent dry mouth while sleeping, let’s learn about dry mouth’s underlying major causes and symptoms.

1. Major Causes Of Dry Mouth While Sleeping

For knowing how to prevent dry mouth while sleeping, there is also a prior need to understand the causes behind the dry mouth.

Dry Mouth - Causes, Symptoms, Treatments and Prevention

1.1. Age Factor

According to medical science, as one grows older, saliva production within the mouth slows down. This is the underlying cause behind the problem of dry mouth in the age group 60 and above population.

1.2. Nasal Obstruction

Some people face the issue of dry mouth at night only. In this scenario, such people might have a nasal obstruction that only makes them breathe through their mouth. This also leads to a dry mouth.

1.3. Diabetes

Individuals with a diabetic medical background are usually vulnerable to the issue of chronic dry mouth. The primary reason for this cause is the high glucose levels in the blood of diabetic people.

1.4. Dehydration

If your body lacks fluid, it is obvious that your mouth will remain dry throughout the day.

1.5. Certain Medications

There are certain medications that naturally, under their curing effect, deplete the process of enough saliva production, as a result of which, one experiences a chronic dry mouth condition

Many times, radiation treatment can also be one of the causes.

1.6. Smoking And Alcohol Consumption

The regular consumption of tobacco, and alcohol, and the life-threatening habit of smoking have many ill effects on health, one of them being dry mouth conditions.

2. Common Symptoms Of Dry Mouth

Why does my mouth get dry when I sleep?

Xerostomia 1or dry mouth makes you feel dry within your oral arena and keeps you experiencing a constant feeling of thirst or an urge to drink water.

Insufficient saliva catalyzes2 bacteria inside the mouth, resulting in tooth decay, bad breath, mouth sores, gum disease, sleep apnea, yeast infection, and many other issues.

Therefore, it is wise to guard yourself once you notice the symptoms of dry mouth.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of dry mouth.

  • Bad Breath
  • Dry or sore throat
  • Sore throat
  • Sticky mouth
  • Burning or rough tongue
  • Mouth sores
  • Difficulty in eating, speaking, and swallowing
  • Chapped lips
  • Changes in the sense of taste
  • The problem with wearing dentures

So, if you notice any of the above symptoms within you, let’s know how to prevent dry mouth while sleeping.

3.  8 Easy Ways On How To Prevent Dry Mouth While Sleeping

How to prevent dry mouth while sleeping is an important question in health and fitness. This section gives some possible answers.

Here are eight easy and simple ways to prevent dry mouth while sleeping:

  • Stay hydrated
  • Taking care of oral hygiene
  • Minimize Caffeine consumption
  • Sugar-free candies
  • Avoid salty food items
  • Avoid breathing from the mouth
  • Say no to alcoholic drinks, tobacco, and smoking
  • Air humidifiers

3.1. Way One- Stay Hydrated

What to Do When You Have A Dry Mouth

Sufficient water intake is an essential practice to incorporate into your daily routine. It is important to stay hydrated throughout the day.

At night, keep a water bottle or glass of water beside your sleeping bed. So, just in case you wake up in the middle of the night, you can take a sip or more and keep your mouth moist.

Keep in mind to avoid drinking either too warm or too cold water.

3.2. Way Two-Taking Care of Oral Hygiene

If you experience dry mouth and are into a habit of using mouthwash, make sure you use a mouthwash with zero percentage of alcohol. The presence of alcohol in mouthwash results in drying inside your oral areas.

Alcohol-free mouthwash is easily available in market stores as well as on various online platforms.

Along with this, take care of your mouth by properly brushing your teeth and maintaining oral hygiene. You can choose to brush using a fluoride toothpaste for better results.

3.3. Way Three- Minimize Caffeine Consumption

Excessive caffeine intake can make the problem of dry mouth worse. Therefore, it is recommended for individuals with dry mouths while sleeping not to take any form of caffeinated drinks, mainly before going to bed.

3.4. Way Four- Sugar-Free Candies

To get rid of the dryness of the mouth, you can start chewing sugar-free gums or can also suck on sugar-free 3candies. Their efficacy is because the gum helps trigger the salivary glands. More saliva is produced, which causes dry mouth conditions to fade away gradually.

3.5. Way Five- Avoid Salty Food Items

For the remedial purpose of dry mouth, it is advisable to reduce the consumption of salt food. Especially for those who experience dry mouth while sleeping, it is better not to take heavily acidic or spicy foods, primarily in the night meal or dinner.

3.6. Way Six- Avoid Breathing From Mouth

It is important to breathe in and out from your nose only consciously. If you live with your mouth open, or what is known as mouth breathing, it becomes one of the foremost reasons for a dry mouth.

3.7. Way Seven- Say No to Alcoholic Drinks, Tobacco, And Smoking

Smoking, tobacco, and any alcoholic drinks are the instigators of severe cases of dry mouth. For those experiencing dry mouth, it becomes indispensable not to consume these, which would benefit their health altogether.

3.8. Way Eight- Air Humidifiers

You can also go with the idea of using air humidifiers for your bedroom. Humidifiers play a vital role in raising the moisture levels in the air around you. Thus, the problem of dry mouth while their apt use can minimize sleeping.

Dry Mouth (Xerostomia), Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

4. Prioritize Your Oral Health

Oral health is as valuable as physical and mental health. To keep the body free of other unfavourable health conditions, it is impossible to ignore the oral cavity, which is that place in your body that lets everything you eat or drink enter through it.

5. Conclusion

A dry mouth is, therefore, a condition that should be diagnosed early. If left untreated, this health issue that seems normal can turn into many other medical problems, be it tooth decay or autoimmune diseases, among others.

Health is the real wealth, and when you take care of your oral health, you become wealthier.

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6. Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What Causes Extremely Dry Mouth While Sleeping?

One common cause of dry mouth at night is snoring or breathing through the mouth because your nasal passages are clogged or inflamed, using mouthware such as bite splints or dental retainers, or using a CPAP machine due to sleep apnea. Other causes of dry mouth include: Simple ageing

Q2. What Deficiency Causes Dry Mouth at Night?

Deficiencies in Vitamin A or riboflavin can also cause dry mouth.

Q3. What Organ Causes Dry Mouth?

Salivary Glands are responsible for a dry mouth.

Q4. What Is the Best Vitamin for Dry Mouth?

Vitamin A is considered to be the best vitamin to treat a dry mouth.

Top 5 Night-Time Dental Tips For Your Oral Health
Icy Health
  1. Kapourani, Afroditi, et al. “A review on xerostomia and its various management strategies: the role of advanced polymeric materials in the treatment approaches.” Polymers 14.5 (2022): 850. ↩︎
  2. Huang, He, Keri A. Steiniger, and Tristan H. Lambert. “Electrophotocatalysis: combining light and electricity to catalyze reactions.” Journal of the American Chemical Society 144.28 (2022): 12567-12583. ↩︎
  3. Selvasekaran, Pavidharshini, and Ramalingam Chidambaram. “Advances in formulation for the production of low-fat, fat-free, low-sugar, and sugar-free chocolates: An overview of the past decade.” Trends in Food Science & Technology 113 (2021): 315-334. ↩︎

Last Updated on by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology

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Aashi_Chaturvedi
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